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An innovative operator?

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Jajah CEO gets Telefonica chief innovation job

When Telefonica O2 bought Jajah in December 2009, it looked like a mismatch – at least in terms of size. One of the world’s largest operators paired with a Silicon valley based VoIP service innovator. But now Telefonica has turned that investment into something that looks as much like a piece of talent acquisition as it does company acquisition.

The investment has yielded one operator-branded service in Germany, launched in July 2010.  http://www.mobileeurope.co.uk/news/press-wire/7809-o2-launches-international-mvoip-service

As you’ll see if you read that link, Trevor Healy, Jajah CEO, told Mobile Europe at the time that he wanted Jajah to act as a “platform for innovation” within Telefonica. Well, it now looks like he is to get the opportunity to do just that.

Telefonica O2 has moved Healy into a position overseeing all innovation across Telefonica O2’s European footprint. From this new position, Healy will be tasked with developing O2’s strategy not just in VoIP based services, but in how the operator engages with the whole range of internet-based communications applications.

In return, Jajah gets a new head – Steve Alder, the current head of devices at O2. Healy will stay involved with Jajah as chairman.

The move is an endorsement of the fact that Telefonica O2 is increasingly becoming one of the more forward thinking outfits amongst Tier One operators. Its BlueVia development platform attracts credit from developers, who appreciate that the operator is trying to meet and work with them on their terms. Its work with Jajah shows that it is willing to promote innovation within the organisation, and also across the organisation.

Orange looking to end NFC’s “chicken and egg”

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Orange looking to end NFC’s “chicken and egg”

Orange’s Mung Ki Woo speaks to Mobile Europe, but won’t comment on rumours that he’s joining Mastercard

Mung Ki Woo, vice president of the Orange group’s electronic payments and transactions unit,  has told Mobile Europe that the operators’ commitments to NFC are intended to “get the industry out of the the chicken and egg question which has been hampering NFC for the last few years.”

The operator, which had already targeted a national deployment in France in 2011 has expanded its NFC ambitions to all its territories in Europe. It said in late 2010 that it will systematically place NFC-enabled SIMs into the market starting from the second half of this year. It has also committed to having half of the smartphones it sells be NFC enabled.

Woo said, “Everybody is waiting and wants to deploy and put NFC in people’s hands. We are waiting for the handsets, and the handset manufacturers are waiting for orders, and the service providers are waiting for the telcos to deploy handsets. We want to help in resolving this situation.”

Of course, handsets are not the only issue in deploying mobile NFC. There need to be services and applications, backed by the payment services providers, as well as till and point of sale (PoS) infrastructure. Activity in Europe to date has mainly centred on City-wide trials, where ecosystem players are brought together in controlled circumstances.

Orange was one of the participants in the Nice CityZi trial, where participants included four telcos and two banks, as well as a transport provider. Although Orange talks of a nationwide deployment, that trial’s structure will not be mirrored in Orange’s deployment in late 2010. As Woo said, his telco is taking the step of bringing more NFC SIMs and handsets into the market. The services will have to follow. Yet Woo said that he thought the country was in a good state of readiness for NFC services.

The transport infrastructure is well placed with contactless infrastructure, he said, and national supermarket chain Carrefour has equipped its stores with NFC PoS units, as well as placing 2 million contacless cards into the market.

“Our towns and cities are also taking action, so we are very optimistic,” he added.

A recent report in NFC Times, picked up elsewhere, indicated that Woo may be about to leave Orange to join Mastercard. When Mobile Europe asked if there was any truth in that, Woo offered no comment.

So it remains to be seen whether Woo will see NFC in France develop from inside or outside of the telco.

Wireless coverage now on-board Italy’s high speed trains

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Telecom Italia has called on Andrew Solutions to provide its equipment and commissioning services in support of 2G and 3G wireless networks on Trenitalia Frecciarossa high speed trains in Italy.

As part of the new coverage and capacity project led by Telecom Italia, Andrew’s in-train solution is extending reliable wireless signals to passengers and staff on all 60 Frecciarossa trains.

High speed trains’ metalized windows can dramatically reduce signal penetration into the carriages, resulting in spotty coverage and an increase of dropped calls. The pure speed of high speed trains complicates the hand off of wireless signals between base stations. And the complexities of different terrain and rapidly changing outdoor signal levels of the various networks involved increase the complexity.

Andrew’s wireless coverage solution is helping produce elongated cells that reduce the number of handovers required while boosting signal strength within the handover region. The Frecciarossa high speed train line is the fastest in Trenitalia’s fleet, with speeds reaching between 300-350 kilometers per hour.  Installation of the new system on the Trenitalia Frecciarossa high speed trains was completed in December.

“Though Andrew has an extensive history of supplying wireless coverage and capacity solutions for metropolitan railways worldwide, this is our largest in-train coverage project ever in Italy,” said Samuel Buttarelli, director of regional sales, Southern Europe, Andrew Solutions. “We are proud to work closely with Telecom Italia in furnishing this solution.”

Andrew supplied about 600 Node AM dual band digital repeaters and kilometers of RADIAX radiating cable with connectors and accessories, in addition to helping design and commission the wireless coverage system. An Andrew Node AM repeater, pickup antenna for GSM 900 MHz/UMTS 2100 MHz/GPS frequency bands, and meters of RADIAX are installed in each Frecciarossa train carriage.

Microsoft selects MACH for Windows Phone 7 applications and content billing

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MACH, a provider of hub-based mobile communication solutions, today announced that Microsoft has selected its Direct Billing Gateway (DBG) solution for Windows Phone 7 applications and content billing. The DBG solution will enable Windows Phone 7 users across the world to buy content from Microsoft’s Windows Phone Marketplace with a simple 1-click service, placing the fee for the application on the user’s phone bill.  Microsoft has already launched this service with Telstra in Australia.

The Direct Billing Gateway selected by Microsoft was launched by MACH to offer a direct billing method by transferring the cost of the application download or in-app purchase directly to users’ phone bills. The DBG solution creates a simple to use 1-click buy process, doing away with the need for cumbersome Premium Messaging or re-direction to WAP payment pages.

“Microsoft is committed to providing Windows Phone 7 customers with easy access to quality apps, games and other content through Windows Phone Marketplace on the phone or PC,” said Todd Brix, Senior Director, Windows Phone Marketplace, Microsoft Corp. “Working with MACH better enables us to offer customers the benefits of a convenient and easy-to-use mobile operator billing option when purchasing their favourite content for Windows Phone 7.”

Charles Damen, Vice President, Mobile Content and Applications, MACH, commented: “MACH has provided messaging services to Microsoft for many years now and we are delighted to extend this relationship to its content billing requirements for Windows Phone 7. We see operator billing as a real driver towards the growth of mobile application transactions and we are confident that the elegance of the one-click billing experience will prove extremely popular with Windows Phone 7 users.”

As well as providing a seamless user experience for Microsoft’s customers, MACH’s DBG solution will help the company maximise revenue assurance and conversion for its application partners. The solution is directly integrated to the billing systems of mobile network operators and delivers real-time authentication and authorisation within the application, minimising risk of revenue leakage or abandoned transactions.

Giesecke & Devrient introduces Over-the-Air SIM and device management platform for LTE networks

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Giesecke & Devrient today announced that its carrier-grade Over-the-Air (OTA) platform now offers SIM and mobile device management for handsets on LTE networks. The expansion of SmartTrust DP capabilities now provides mobile operators with a common, single platform for managing subscriber equipment regardless of network technology.

Flexible, reliable and scalable messaging capabilities between the server platform and the SIM or device are essential success factors for an OTA system. SmartTrust DP gives the choice of IP messaging supported by handset and SIM as well as the option to avoid delivering OTA messages while a subscriber is not in its home network.

With a full range of management tools, SmartTrust DP supports an operator’s individual scalability, performance, reliability and interoperability needs by now reaching any IP-connected device and extending the capabilities of the platform beyond BIP support. The SIM can now initiate, through the use of pull functionality within the client, as well as establish an IP session with the SmartTrust DP HTTP server module. Additionally, SmartTrust DP supports polling by the SIM client enabling periodic checks by the SIM client to determine if a management session is required. The addition of pull and poll functionality, complementing existing push capabilities, allows for the implementation of true client-server applications on the SIM that take advantage of the greatly increased bandwidth afforded by a LTE network.

Beyond messaging, the platform implements functionality and services for event reception interfaces, configuration management, charging, user administration, operation and maintenance, logging, statistics, reports, data storage and an API for external access to the unified repository.

The modular architecture of SmartTrust DP allows mobile operators to deploy other applications such as SmartRoam for support of steering to LTE networks, SmartAct for managing LTE-specific files and SmartProvisioning for handling IMS and other data connectivity, either all at once or incrementally. The system has a high availability and ultra-high capacity option built using industry standard clustering technology.

“Utilizing a single Over-the-Air platform to activate and manage existing as well as new wireless devices in today’s growing array of networks helps to improve network efficiency and reduce operational costs,” said Marianne Arosenius, Group Senior Vice President of G&D’s Server Software and Services Division. “We’re unique in our ability not only to deliver a wide-ranging solution to manage LTE devices but also to offer HTTP-ready smart cards. This provides wireless operators with a strong solution set to best manage the rollout of new technologies while best managing existing ones.”

Ringback tone advertising to hit $780 million annually by 2015 as consumers chase free airtime, says research

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A new report from Juniper Research has highlighted the increasing popularity of ringback tone advertising, which is expected to be the destination of more than $780 million in annual adspend by 2015. The ad format – where consumers opt-in to receive airtime or credit in return for allowing branded content as their ringback tone – has already been successfully implemented in a number of key markets, proving popular both with mobile users and leading brands.

The mobile advertising report found that some campaigns run on ringback tone advertising were currently generating substantial response rates: for example, a Pepsi campaign on Turkcell’s TonlaKazan service generated more than 25 million calls from 5 million users. Meanwhile, as ad-funded services are increasingly deployed in key ringback markets such as China and India, there is expected to be a gradual transition of service users across from paid-for ringback tone to capitalise on free airtime offers.

However, according to report author Dr Windsor Holden, for the channel to gain optimal adoption, it was essential that content placed within the ringbacks was non-intrusive. “While ringback tone advertising has a number of potential benefits for network operators  –  notably providing a new revenue stream and reducing customer churn – both they and the brands must ensure that the advertising is contextual and does not jar with those listening. Otherwise all parties – operators, brands, even the service subscribers – could face a backlash from disgruntled callers, conceivably resulting in a decline in network voice traffic.”

Other key findings from the report include:

·         Total advertising expenditure across all mobile channels is expected to reach $11.5 billion in 2015, up from $3.1 billion in 2010

·         Mobile channels are benefitting from brands’ strategic transition from above the line (ATL) to below the line (BTL) advertising

·         Retailers are increasingly seeking to offer smartphone apps as a key means of generating brand exposure

Telenor Hungary automates mobile device settings

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Telenor Hungary has selected Nokia Siemens Networks to improve customer experience while reducing its customer care costs by implementing its Serve atOnce Device Manager (SADM). The software automatically recognizes any mobile device and optimizes it for Telenor’s network and the range of services it can use, depending on individual specifications.

“Today customers demand new applications and services, but without the hassle of setting them up individually,” said György Koller, chief technical officer at Telenor Hungary. “Automated device management via Nokia Siemens Networks’ Serve atOnce Device Manager ensures our customers get the most out of their handset, making them happier and increasing the potential number of services they can use.”

Deployment, integration and support for the Serve atOnce Device Manager software by Nokia Siemens Networks is also part of the agreement. The solution helps correct the device settings for a requested service automatically, without any command from the subscriber or customer care. This improves the customer experience and reduces the cost of customer care for the operator.

“Our device management solution will allow the operator to deliver superior customer experience by simplifying the device setting process,” said Miroslav Vreljakovic, in charge of business with Telenor in Central East Europe, Nokia Siemens Networks. “The solution protects and grows Telenor’s business by supporting customer loyalty and reducing calls to customer care.”

Movirtu ManyME enables management of multiple phone numbers on a single device

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Movirtu, the Cloud Phone company, today announced the launch of ManyME, a new patent pending product for mobile service providers, allowing them to create new services for everyone with multiple SIMs and mobile devices who seeks a single identity under their own control.

Movirtu is a specialist in Mobile Identity Management (MIM) solutions for the wireless telecommunication market. Bringing its identity manager capability to oversee subscribers identity across multiple devices, the company will debut ManyME at Mobile World Congress taking place in Barcelona on 14-17 February.
 
The explosive growth during 2010 of tablet and smart phone usage looks set to continue into 2011 and beyond. This brings with it a new challenge for many people who now find themselves owning multiple SIMs and devices and using them at different times; for example, an iPad here and there, a BlackBerry during office hours, and an iPhone socially. Bringing these devices together and flexibly managing the calls, messages, mobile payments and other mobile data is the role of Mobile Identity Management.
 
Behind this emerging challenge is a dramatic trend. “Worldwide, there were 4.6 Billion mobile phone subscribers at the start of 2010. Out of those, 1.2 Billion were “duplicate” global mobile phone subscriptions,” says Tomi T Ahonen, CEO of TomiAhonen Consulting. “This is a global trend and it is a huge trend.”
 
There is a clear case for Mobile Identity Management unlocking key emerging challenges, says Movirtu. Handling multiple phones simultaneously is unmistakably inconvenient, especially when switching between the phones or taking phones apart to switch SIM cards. Business mobile customers commonly accumulate multiple SIM cards. A problem made worse if they travel globaly with SIMs for a network operator in each country, many of which lie off line and dormant for many months.
 
Movirtu’s ManyME allows subscribers to use and manage, in real time, multiple phone numbers and accounts from a single authenticated mobile device with a single SIM card. After signing up to the service a subscriber can make and receive voice calls and messages on all their numbers either through the Identity Management App, or on more basic phones by prefixing calls with a code to dictate which account the call is to be made on. Most importantly for multi-national operators is the ability to offer the use of different numbers from each of their regional operations on a single mobile device and bill to a single home account. The big advantage to subscribers is that they do not need to purchase extra SIM cards or additional mobile handsets, and they have the convenience of all their ManyME numbers being active at the same time. For the operators, this enables them to extend loyalty beyond their traditional country barriers and reduce the cost of selling and distributing the SIM cards.
 
In addition, ManyME allows a single number to be active across multiple devices at the same time including mobile phones, smart phones and tablet computers such as iPads, making communication simpler and more streamlined.
 
“Movirtu is committed to continuous innovation because we see an ever growing demand for more and more personalised identity solutions for network subscribers and we know operators see this as highly important to their customer relationship,” said Nigel Waller, Founder and CEO of Movirtu. “From personal experience I know how inconvenient it can be to own and carry multiple SIM cards and mobile phones while traveling. I am confident that ManyME will solve problems for many people worldwide.”

NEC to attend Mobile World Congress 2011

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NEC Corporation (NEC) announced today that it will attend the Mobile World Congress 2011 at the Fira de Barcelona, Barcelona February 14 – 17, 2011.   This year, NEC will showcase a range of solutions for mobile operators at Stand No 8A125, Hall 8 including quick-to-market cloud services and next-generation mobile broadband solutions: LTE, backhaul, femtocell and Operational Support Systems (OSS).   

“The Mobile Cloud is changing the economics of enterprise IT by allowing businesses, large or small, to access low-cost applications with high-processing power; the only requirement is a mobile device and Internet connection,”  said Toshiyuki Mineno, Senior Vice President, NEC Corporation.  “This mobile platform will become the dominant method of IT delivery allowing access to virtualized remote desktops and office suites via any device, any time.  NEC’s seamless IT and network solutions are helping operators to capture revenue from these transformative opportunities.”

At the NEC stand, NEC will demonstrate its C&C Cloud capabilities including business application services accessed over the cloud that mobile operators can deploy and start generating revenue quickly. These cloud-based services include Web Collaboration, Fleet Management, Accounting, E-learning and E-healthcare solutions.  In addition, NEC will also demonstrate its mobile network infrastructure solutions in support of these cloud-based business application services.

“Operators need to ensure their networks are geared towards the Mobile Cloud era with high-capacity, high-speed and reliable delivery,” said Shinya Kukita, Chief Manager, NEC.  “NEC’s small-cell LTE allows mobile operators to tailor cost effectively their services according to end user and capacity demand from small-scale to wide-scale commercial deployments.   Our new breed of product, the iPASOLINK platform, is the key building block in the transformation of backhaul networks for LTE enabling affordable and scalable migration.  In addition, NEC’s 3G femtocell solution provides the five-bar coverage indoors required to access capacity-intensive applications.” 

C&C Cloud
We are entering a mobile cloud era, with new business creation opportunities for operators. NEC has a Cloud platform and operation and local ISV (Independent Software Vendors) management systems for third party application integration.  Examples of applications that operate over SaaS include CRM, ERP, Office Applications, Web Collaboration, Call Center, Fleet Management, Antivirus and E-learning.

NEC will be providing live demonstrations of its recently launched ‘Cloud Communicator’ Android-based tablet, its remote cancer diagnostic solution, ‘e-Pathologist’ and its Digital Signage Solution.

NEC will also demonstrate its strength in Content Sharing Services with its Rich Communication Suite, which offers a new communication style of image and video sharing with synchronization of real-time interactions during voice call.

LTE
Around the world, mobile operators are re-examining their LTE rollout strategy in the face of soaring CAPEX and OPEX experienced with the macro rollout of their 3G networks.  NEC’s small cell LTE solution gives control back to mobile operators by enabling them to test, adjust and tailor the provision of LTE services according to capacity demand and the profitability of high-data rate services.  NEC will showcase its small cell LTE solutions in combination with its world’s leading technology enabling operators’ business transformation. 

Backhaul
NEC will demonstrate the evolution of backhaul to an IP world.  The NEC iPASOLINK incorporates packet, microwave and optical technologies and an all-in-one design that reduces cost of ownership.  It is a new breed of product for converged backhaul networks evolving to LTE and will underpin the quick-to-market rollout of services.

Femtocell
NEC will demonstrate its award-winning Femtocell Solution Suite that enables mobile operators to provide premium mobile services and an excellent mobile consumer experience.  It offers an excellent end user experience through enhanced quality and coverage. This is critical to the objectives of mobile operators seeking to address the retention of their mobile subscriber base and customer acquisition.   Its femtocell systems are fully standard compliant, interoperable and compatible in a multi-vendor eco-system, enabling mobile operators to build economies of scale for quick-to-market, mass-femtocell deployments. 

OSS
NEC’s OSS telecom operation and management solution enable mobile operators to execute comprehensive business transformations for operational efficiency and profitability.

Tesco records Christmas milestone

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Tesco Mobile says it reached the milestone of 2.5 million customers on Christmas Day this year after experiencing its best ever Christmas sales.
 

Tens of thousands of Tesco Mobile handsets were said to have been activated on Christmas Day with the iPhone proving the most popular Christmas gift for customers.
 
The network experienced double digit airtime growth in every quarter of 2010 as it attracted new customer types through new service and product offerings. It is still the only network to offer the iPhone on a 12 month contract for consumers and now has a  selection of smartphones in its range including the iPhone 4 and newest Blackberry models.
 
The network grew both its Pay as you go and contract base in every quarter of 2010 despite a highly competitive mobile market, says Tesco. This has seen Tesco Mobile grow its customer numbers by 25% in 2010.  This year saw the network move into the contract market bringing more choice for consumers with the launch of 12 month contracts as well as market leading 24 month options.
 
Tesco Mobile recently launching two new deals aimed at the youth market, offering low cost monthly contracts with a high end handset and unlimited social networking.
 
The mobile operator is a joint venture between Tesco and O2 which utilises the O2 network.  Growth of the Tesco Mobile network has also been fuelled by the roll out of Tesco Phone Shops.
 
There are now almost 200 Phone Shops across the UK providing Tesco shoppers with access to a range of Tesco Mobile phones, mobiles for other major networks, accessories, broadband services, landlines, top up and Tesco international calling card. The retailer has just launched its first standalone Phone Shop in Bristol allowing customers on the high street to benefit from Tesco Phone Shop value and have access to the Tesco Mobile brand.
 
Tesco Phone Shops have also seen growth internationally across the Tesco estate and there are now Phone Shops in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Turkey and South Korea.
 
Lance Batchelor, Chief Executive Officer of Tesco Mobile and Tesco Telecoms said: “Tesco Mobile is well on its way to becoming the number one MVNO in the UK.  It is continuing to grow its Pay as you go and Pay Monthly base in a declining market space which highlights the network’s appeal to our mobile savvy nation. 
 
“We have a unique position in the mobile market place because we are able to reward customers in hundreds of ways through Clubcard.  We’re focused on giving consumers real and valuable rewards that encourage their loyalty and help them get the best value from their provider.
 
“The rapid expansion of the network of Tesco Phone Shops in 2010 has enabled us to deliver service and value through telecoms retailing to millions of Tesco Shoppers and has brought Tesco Mobile as a network to the attention of consumers.”

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